TRANMERE'S Dave Watson welcomes the chance to enter a contest of wits against his former boss Roy Evans at the County Ground, Swindon tomorrow.

As reserve team coach at Anfield in the 1970s Evans was the figure of authority who guided the young Watson through his years as a schoolboy and part-time professional player with Liverpool.

Later, after Watson had established a career in the top flight with Everton, Evans would become a sporting adversary twice a season as coach and then manager of Liverpool's first team.

So it is appropriate their first meeting as the new managers of second division Swindon Town and Tranmere should take place on Merseyside derby day, albeit 200 miles away in Wiltshire.

Watson hasn't forgotten the influence Evans had on his early career. "Roy was a great character builder," Watson said.

"From the age of 14 upwards I would train with Roy and Ronnie Moran at Liverpool on Tuesday and Thursday nights. They did not hold back, they tested you.

"Now it's good to see Roy back in the game again. He has vast experience from all those years he served at Anfield. He saw everything in football and tasted success at the highest level. His knowledge can only help people in the game."

After tomorrow's match has run its course, Watson might even be tempted to ask Evans for an opinion on what to do about teams with a split personality. Watson hopes by then Tranmere will have begun to break the cycle of Jekyll and Hyde performances that have characterised their contrasting fortunes in league and cup football for the last season and a half.

He believes Tranmere's display in a 4-0 defeat at Brentford last Saturday may well have been a watershed.

The Worthington

Cup rout of first division Preston three days later showed Tranmere have not lost their relish for success in knock-out competitions. But a more significant success of resolve will be found in the battle for Division Two points at the County Ground.

Watson said: "I've had no real idea about what kind of performance I'm going to get from this team when I send them out onto the pitch. The performance against Preston this week showed there is plenty of ability in the side.

"But it's a level of consistency I'm looking for. I think the Brentford and Preston games may have been a turning point and we can carry on from where we left off on Tuesday."

The fragile nature of Tranmere's confidence this season is illustrated by the importance of the first goal scored in their games.

Whenever Tranmere have gone in front they went on to win cup ties against Shrewsbury and Preston and a league match at Stoke. But they are without a win from the five games in which they fell behind.

Watson continued: "Scoring the first goal makes a difference to us. We get a spring in our step when we go into the lead.

"If we go a goal down our heads can drop and we are on the back foot.

"There's a little bit of nervousness about the side and we need to progress to a stage where we are strong enough to withstand setbacks.

"That's when players have to show the character that comes from within. You would expect seasoned professionals to have it and perhaps the problem is more understandable with younger players.

"You look for a good reaction from all of them in training. When a player loses the ball he's encouraged to go straight after winning it back again."

Watson is not expected to make many changes from the line-up that performed so well against Preston.

So even though experienced frontman Wayne Allison is close to making a full recovery from a groin strain, teenager Alex Hay may be given another run alongside Stuart Barlow in attack.

However, defenders Reuben Hazell and Graham Allen are under treatment for calf and hamstring injuries respectively, while Dave Challinor picked up a knee injury in the reserves.